2023-08-20 15:01:10
Three branches of the Átomo Supermarket in the city of Las Heras, in the province of Mendoza, suffered this Saturday looting attempts. The police reaction, which due to some messages circulating on the networks, prepared early to prevent these robberies, was quick and thus the losses of the premises were not massive, while 18 arrests were made, after a few hours of bullfights and confrontations.
The striking fact of the case is that one of the detainees, considered by the Police as an alleged instigator of the looting, is a young man barely 22 years old: he is accused of being the network user who cThe WhatsApp group from which the calls for looting began was created, inciting people to join this “piranha” action.
As detailed by the traditional Mendoza newspaper The Andes, the uniformed were alerted of those audios that circulated about attacks on businesses, so as soon as the attackers pounced on the gondolas of the Átomo de Independencia and Laprida branch, the uniformed officers responded effectively.
There was looting of supermarkets and butcher shops in Neuquén and Mendoza: several detainees
During the confrontation, the officers fanned out through the streets and put up resistance behind their shields as the robbers attacked them from behind. stones and bottles to later hide behind some posters that they had stolen from nearby shops. In turn, a police helicopter was flying over the area.
“There is nothing left but to endure until they get tired”, said one of the uniformed regarding the tense scenario. Similar events were also experienced in the Mendoza department of Guaymallén, where a group of 30 people tried to break into an Átomo branch located at 4000 Capilla de Nieve.
The police operations left a balance of 18 detainees who actively participated in the robbery attempts.
After seeing their attempts to loot the Átomo branches frustrated, a group of robbers began to attack nearby businesses from the street where they were, causing fear and a general state of alert among the merchants in the area.
Due, looters targeted two butcher shops, who entered one of these businesses, located at Independencia and Álvarez Condarco, and literally “left nothing.”
“They took everything, they ran with pieces of meat in their hands. They destroyed the refrigerator, they left nothing”lamented the owner of the business.
For his part, Mendoza’s Minister of Security, Raul Levrinodescribed what happened as “isolated incidents that are under control” and called for the “civic responsibility and commitment” of the political leadership.
“We want to convey peace of mind to all Mendoza. Right now security forces are deployed and working together to ensure safety and well-being of the population and already detained detained,” the official said in a statement.
In addition, Marcelo Calipohead of the police force, explained to The Andes that will remain police guards on the supermarkets and hypermarkets of Las Heras and vulnerable areas, prioritizing the stores of the Átomo chain.
The message inciting looting via WhatsApp
After the incidents, among the 18 arrested, the Mendoza Police included who is believed to have promoted the looting by circulating old videos of attacks through WhatsApp groups.
“Let’s make a cool group to start looting. Let’s get together all the neighborhoods, Inmaculada, Santa María, Los Carrizales. Let’s start looting, just for food giladas. Let’s gather about 50, 100 people, to give to supermarkets” , said one of those viralized audios that ran hours before the attacks.
The young man who is considered the instigator was arrested in a raid in the department of rivadavia. They came to identify him by his cell phone number. And hours later in the San José neighborhood, in the same Rivadavia department, another man was arrested who would have also collaborated by encouraging these robberies of merchants. He himself was kidnapped three cell phones. None of the detainees had a criminal record.
The episodes in Neuquén
In parallel, during the course of Saturday afternoon, videos of assaults on shops were seen on the networks in Neuquén province. After reports of possible looting circulated during the day, which even led some merchants to close their doors, there were attacks by groups of looters at a supermarket branch the anonymous in the southern part of the city of Cutral Co, in the La Unión neighborhood.
There was a rapid police intervention, which left three subjects arrested. After the attack, the police closed the entrances to the supermarket, and groups of attackers threw stones at the uniformed officers, who responded with rubber bullets.
Javier Milei, about looting
The presidential candidate of La Libertad Avanza, Javier Mileyruled on the looting that occurred this Saturday in Mendoza and compared the situation with the scenario experienced in the country during 2001 and 2002.
“The same images as in 2001/2. The same people in charge. A different Argentina is impossible with the same as always“, sentenced the liberal economist through X (ex Twitter).
The presidential candidate shared his messages along with a tweet from the economist Manuel Adorni, who released videos of the events and remarked: “Let’s finish with this: we must repress without concessions, identify them, confiscate all their property and imprison them forever. End”.
AS.
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